Several Santa Clarita Schools To Welcome Back Young Students For In-Person Learning Monday
SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA) -- After nearly a year of online learning, hundreds of students in the Saugus Union School District in Santa Clarita will return to in-person classes Monday.
The governing board for the Saugus Union School District voted last week to reopen elementary school campuses.
First and second grade students will return Monday. TK and kindergarten will return Thursday. Third and fourth graders will return March 1, while five and sixth graders will return March 4.
Students will be on a hybrid schedule, with classes held four days a week. Students will be divided into either morning or afternoon sessions. Students will be on campus for about 2 ½ hours per day.
"We get to go see our teacher and all of our friends," Gianna Helquist, a second-grade student, told CBSLA Sunday.
Masks will be required and frequent handwashing and social distancing will be maintained, the district said.
Per district and state health guidelines, students will not be allowed to share school supplies. Kids are also asked to keep their backpacks at home.
"I'm very excited about it," parent Michelle Lynsky said. "I'm not excited it's only going to be two and a half hours."
Meanwhile, those students in the Saugus Digital Learning Academy who prefer not to return will continue learning virtually only.
As coronavirus case counts drop, the debate over whether students should return to campuses has continued to ignite controversy across L.A. County. Last week, the county gave permission for all elementary schools to reopen countywide.
However, the superintendent for L.A. Unified, the second-largest school district in the nation, has said that its campuses will not be reopened until teachers and staff are fully vaccinated.